麻豆约拍

Western countries have placed further sanctions on Russia, after President Putin ordered troops into two breakaway regions of eastern Ukraine, after recognising their independence from Kyiv. The retaliatory moves include the UK blocking several Russian banks, and Germany suspending approval of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. We hear what some of the key diplomatic players involved have been saying, and speak to Yaroslav Trofimov, Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent at The Wall Street Journal down the line from the Ukrainian capital. Plus, where can European countries source natural gas if getting it from Russia is no longer an option? We hear from Bloomberg correspondent Simone Foxman, who has been at a meeting of the world's leading gas exporters in Qatar's capital Doha. Joe Saluzzi from Themis Trading in New Jersey tells us how the markets have reacted to rising tensions over Ukraine, while Shaistah Akhtar from British law firm Mishcon de Reya tells us how sanctions such as those imposed by the UK government on Tuesday will be felt in Russia. And after India stops short of criticising Moscow over Monday's escalation, we speak to SOAS international relations professor Avinash Paliwal about the commercial and military considerations that New Delhi is weighing as it formulates its response to the crisis.

(Picture: A section of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. Picture credit: Getty Images.)